NATO Through Time

How is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty triggered, and what happens once it’s activated? How did the 9/11 terrorist attacks impact both the United States and its NATO Allies, and why did NATO respond the way it did? What was the significance of NATO’s operations in Afghanistan and how did they change the Alliance? In this episode, former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson of Port Ellen shares his memories of 11 September 2001, and the historic months and years that fol...

Why did the Baltic States and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe choose to join NATO after the end of the Cold War?Why was the 2004 enlargement of NATO known as the “Big Bang” enlargement?How do NATO’s smaller member countries contribute to the Alliance? In this episode, former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga shares her extraordinary life story – from fleeing Latvia as a child at the end of the Second World War, to building a life in Canada for 50 years, to becomin...

Why did NATO open its door to former Warsaw Pact adversaries after the end of the Cold War? What was the process for Czechia, Hungary and Poland to join the Alliance? How has NATO changed in the 25 years since this historic enlargement? In this episode, former Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and former Czech Ambassador to NATO Karel Kovanda share their perspectives on this transformative era in NATO history. They reflect on their youths, growing up under communism in ...

Why is NATO important for the United States?Are we in a more dangerous nuclear situation than we were during the Cold War?What is the credible path back to peace in Europe?What was the significance of serving as the first woman and only second American Deputy Secretary General of NATO? In this episode, Rose Gottemoeller reflects on her time as NATO Deputy Secretary General during a pivotal time for the Alliance. She discusses her previous experience working on arms control policy in the ...

How do the political and military sides of NATO work together?What lessons are NATO militaries learning from Russia’s war against Ukraine? How does an alliance of 32 countries combine their armed forces into one integrated military force – and how would this change in the event of war? In this episode, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, who served as Director General of NATO's International Military Staff from 2019 until 2022, explains how NATO’s command structure unites diver...

What are the main responsibilities of the NATO Secretary General?How and why did Jens Stoltenberg become the head of the Organization?How has NATO changed over the past decade, and what does its future look like? In this episode, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reflects on his time at NATO over the past 10 years. He shares the personal motivations that led him to accept the job after serving as Prime Minister of Norway, and how his parents' values and his own political activity as a y...

Welcome to the NATO Through Time podcast!This podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history.Our first episode introduces the podcast’s co-hosts: former NATO Spokesperson Jamie Shea, along with young content creators Ben Wheeler, Maciej Musiał and Paulius Mikolaitis, who are helping tell NATO’s story to the next generation.Join them in this initial episode on a 15-minute whirlwind tour of NATO...